H2G2 Storytime III: From Prussia with Love. Part LI
Created | Updated Sep 23, 2007
It was cold. The room temperature was fine. They'd sorted out all the major problems of heating in Antarctica years ago. But everything through to his very essence was shivering. Sebastian Grobsvaughn, had - for a monk - always been a poor sleeper. He thought that there was some terrible sin that he had committed that made him suffer this eternal torment. He had done all that he was asked of by the cult which he followed. After his loving parents and siblings died in the family house during a fire in Belgium, he had to come to this inhospitable climate. In the event modern technology had made it as comfortable as anywhere, but his cell was sparse - as was expected. That was apart from a large collection of books on an old table.
Sebastian had always had an inquisitive mind, and part of his strong belief in the cult was that there was so much more to see. But this was taking him places even other members of the cult would find uncomfortable - so he kept a lot of it to himself.
Today marked the beginning of a new journey for him, so once again he found himself knelt on the floor of his cell consulting the runes that had always been an invaliable guide wehn Sebsatian was troubled.
The Runes today were unclear. Again. they'd been like this ever since he'd been given the news of...of his mission. Sebastian shook a carved tumbler that resemble the sort you used to get in Yahtzee boardgames. He spilt the runes out onto a velvent mat and let them speak.
Collectively,the runes spoke of the future, which was in itself something of a comfort. There was one rune that was deeply troubling him sicne it kept occuring again and again.
The Ibis bird.
This rune spoke of the underworld, where the souls of the dead where weighed, but this was also the symbol of the God Thoth associated with the moon, magic and astronomy amongst other things. It was confusing.
So much that was still unclear. Perhaps one more toss....
He starlted by a loud knocking of the door. "Sebastian," a fellow monk called Marcus said sternly, "It's time to begin."
Silently Sebastian nodded and got up. Unknowing what the day had in store for him...
ALPHA COMPLEXThe Moriarty sighed when it came to its final destination. When Vanderveer stepped down he was surprised by the size of the cavern. Similar in shape to tunnel back in Egypt, the arc over head was carefully bricked in Victorian style but much bigger with much more dedication to keeping it clean. There were many more tracks lying parallel to the one they had used to arrive but these held no transport... this was a station... fantastic columns guarded both sides of every doors.
"Hello there!" Came a cheery voice.
Caught off guard Vanderveer spun for his weapon but the young man strutting merrily across the stone platform toward him waved it away with his free hand. As he came closer Vanderveer examined the other wearing what looked like a hybrid of robes with a blue-green camoflage uniform. Then he realised that the man had broke off from a group of people discussing amongst themselves. A second later the group walked toward the train and began examining it like engineers.
Smiling through a trim orange beard the man, with a distinct American accent said "Welcome to Antarctica Complex Alpha!" as he shook Vandeveer's hand. "Could I have your name please?" He flicked up a clipboard although there were few things written on the parchment it held. Interestly instead of pen was a quill.
"Um.. Vandeveer, Reto," mumbled Vandeveer unused to this degree of plesantry.
Without looking at his sheet the man clutched the clipboard with both hands and held it down to his pelvis as if he was ready to unleash more excitement.
"Of course! Of course! We've been expecting you, Mr. Vandeveer! I'm Intendant-Pastor Scorpio. On behalf of the Cult of the Dying Pilchard it's my duty to thank you for everything you have done for us, we quite quite grateful. I see you've given Moriarty here a good run, ahah." He smiled grew this time to show perfect white teeth.
Before Vanderveer could speak again there was a grunting as Sreka appeared hoisting the unconscious Mary across his shoulders.
"Mr. Sreka!" said Scorpio walking toward an open mouthed henchman who stared at Vanderveer. "I'd shake your hand but from the looks it I can guess that would only add weight to you load. Who is this by the way? Oh, Sister Mary welcome back!" The Intendant-Pastor lifted the nun's head to examine the face then let it drop. "We better get you some help." He clapped his hands three times in quick succession and some more figures walked from a doorway with a stretcher.
The friendly Cultist helped Sreka to load Mary onto it which allowed Vanderveer to raise his eyebrow in noticing that Scorpio's clipboard was attached around his waist by a velvet rope.
"You'll be up and about in no time, Sister!" Scorpio called to Mary's form as she was taken away. "Mr. Vanderveer; Mr. Sreka - I do hope I'm pronouncing that right - could you follow me, please?" Without awaiting a reply he spun on his axis and marched away.
After exchanging looks, Reto and Andrei followed.
The walk was brief as just down a passage way, a door was pushed open revealing a small open-top monorail cubical in shape balanced on a single raised bar of silver track. The air was cooler here than at the station.
"Well don't be shy" Scorpio urged as he climbed into the driver's seat. Vanderveer to the fifth seat behind and Sreka sat next to him.
"Is dis part of the plan?" whispered Sreka.
Vanderveer's reply was simple. "When we get where we're going we can kill him." Then they felt the monorail whirr under their feet as the engine's started. After a little bump the vehicle moved slowly at the speed of a milk float along its path.
The tunnel was circular, stalagmites rolled by. Soon the light at the end of the tunnel grew and the monorail slid out into an enormous cavern of noise.
Below them were dozens of people all different ages and sizes miling about. Some looked like they were at an airport, others looked to be lab technicians plus the all too familiar guards. The whole thing looked like the Victorian age has clashed head on with a 60s sci-fi B-movie in a battle inside a volcano.
At a desk on the open marble floor was a wall of clocks with the different time zones of the world, a captial city marked under each one. Tannoy announcements being made but too far to be legible as were the people all talking.
The track headed down closer to the floor. Wait no, Sreka leaned in on the monorail's descent, different people were speaking in different languages. The Russian caught some of his own tongue as a man asked a woman with a child when she thought the boy was old enough to get his forearm tattooed with 'the Mark of our People'.
The cart rose again and came side to side with another on its own track, this one empty except for the driver.
"Evening Brother Frank!" said Scorpio acoss the gap.
"Oh hey Scorpio," replied the other driver with the hint of an Irish accent. He nodded to Vanderveer and Sreka busy watching the activity below. "I see you've got us some new followers."
"No, no, these guys are just visting," corrected Scorpio. His friend 'Oh'd in understanding. Up ahead the tracks split off again. "Oop, looks like we'll have to talk some other time."
"Yeah I've got a quick assignment in Brazil they want me to do before the Bleeding, so I'll see you around."
"Oh that's nice, I'll catch you later!" The two shared a thumbs up before the carts sent them on their seperate ways.
In a lonely spot surrounded by steep cliffs of ice, a hatch opened.
There was no-one, not even a penguin, to remark on just how odd an event this was, but it really was very odd indeed.
From out of this odd and unusually located hatchway, a gloved hand reached out found some purchase, then another and finally Agent X, snugly wrapped in Antarctic weather gear, emerged blinking behind his snow goggles, into the bright wilderness of a frozen wasteland.
He was joined moments later by Ody, Jamila and Arthur.
"Where are we?" Ody shouted to Arthur.
"Best guess I'd say one of the Antarctic islands, probably near the pole."
"I think I see it." X exclaimed.
"See what?" his partner asked him.
"The pole. look." and X indicated a pole standing triumphantly upright in a clearing protected from the barrages of wind-driven snow by a cluster of ice drifts. "I'm going over."
"Erm...X?"
But Arthur's plaintive concern went unheard. X strode over to the pole and stepped onto a slight icy mound raising him a few inches higher.
"We have reached the pole!" he said beaming. "I proclaim this place in the name of The Agency."
Arthur, Ody and Jamila had all caught up with him.
"It's funny. The pole looks smaller than I imagined." said Jamila contriving to sound disappointed.
"X, I hate to break it you, but this, this isn't the pole and that isn't the flag."
"What do you mean? Looks pole-ish to me" and he gave it a tap whereupon it listed ever so slightly.
"Oh" he said.
"That is a harpoon. It is sticking in someone. Someone you’re stood on top of. Get down."
X looked down at his snow boots. Now that Arthur mentioned it, the icy mound he had ascended did take on the peculiar corpsish shape of a dead body lying face down, buried in the snow.
X scurried to get down.
"Who is it?" X asked peering down.
"Don’t know but they’ve been here a long time." Ody said studying the frozen features preserved in the cold.
"And they weren’t alone." Jamila observed.
"How do you know that?" Ody remarked.
"Well peope,generally don't shoot themselves with harpoons - not in the back anyway."
Arthur snapped open a leather pouch that was attached to the dead man’s chest.
"Incredible!" he murmured.
"What is it Arthur?" X asked.
"It’s a letter" he said unfolding it, "and now we know the identity of our mystery corpse...it’s Captain Oates."
"You’re kidding!" X exclaimed.
"No. He signed it. Look." And he held up it up for the other’s inspection. Ody and Jamila crowded in.
X began reading:
"To who it may concern the Ozymandias plan has succeed, I've sent a communiqué to London, though I fear I shall not live to see that city again. Scott pursues me night and day; I can delay here no longer. Enter the Caverns in Mount Terror. Look for the fish."
A sudden gust of wind snatched the letter from X’s grasp and it blew away across the snow.
"No!" gasped Ody. "Think of the history!" stretching out a hand as the wind whipped it away.
"He was an agent," X noted sadly - and Scott, he....must have been with The Cult. "
"This is getting stranger and stranger," Jamila remarked.
"Perhaps." Arthur said stoically as the letter fluttered over a jagged shelf of ice flow and vanished from sight "it is better to leave the memory of Oates and Scott as it is." We know now it was Scott that murdered Oates and that Scott was in league with The Cult. Our best lead is to find those caverns Oates was talking about. Perhaps that’s where Sreka, Mary and Daltmooreby are headed and we can’t stay exposed outside for too long."
Arthur surveyed the twin peaks in the near-distance forming the horizon. Mount Erebus was active and smoke was billowing upward from the crater rim, to the west lay Mount Terror.
"We must hurry. We don’t have much time..."
